Improve Your MacBook's Battery In 2020

If you're annoyed by frequently seeing the low battery message on your Macbook, then you're not the only one. Battery issues are one of the most prevalent complaints among Mac users. Here is a detailed, step by step guide to help you improve your device's battery life in 2020.

The Problem

Over the past decade, Apple products have become famous for their durability and efficiency, as opposed to competing products launched by other competitors. The world of laptops changed following the introduction of the second-generation MacBook in 2008, which then became the standard of quality for other mid-size laptops.

However, even with its robustness, MacBook batteries don't last forever. Having to charge your Macbook frequently will disrupt your work sessions, decreasing your overall productivity. Moreover, batteries have a limited lifecycle, which is responsible for the degradation of battery health.

All is not lost though, here is what you can do to extend your battery life.

Keep The Lighting Dim

It is essential to understand that the screen brightness is one of the most critical factors that your Macbook's battery life is dependent on. Decreasing your screen brightness is one of the most significant actions you can take to see battery gains. If you're keen to push this to the extreme, but without making your screen completely dark, you should disable auto-brightness and set the screen brightness to 75%.

Your keyboard lights up too. You can turn off your keyboard lights unless you're in a dark room. If you want to squeeze out even more battery life, then turn on the darkish mode which will display black pixels instead of white, thereby saving even more battery life.

Disable Automatic Brightness

1. Go to Preferences.



2. Select "Display" and untick the box.

Adjust Display Brightness And Keyboard Lights

1. Use the F1 key to adjust the display brightness.
2. Turn off the keyboard lights using the F5 key.

Turn on Dark Mode

1. Go to Preferences.



2. Select General.



3. Click on Dark.

Invert Colors

1. Go to Preferences.



2. Select Accessibility.



3. Click on Display.
4. Check the field next to the inverted colors.

Keep Unnecessary Options Off

To give your battery a nice (albeit small) boost, simplify your workflow, and close unused apps. If you're not using Bluetooth or WiFi connections, turn them off too. It should be noted that peripherals like wireless headphones or mice require BlueTooth, so don't turn BlueTooth off if you're using these.

If you're on the move or do not want to be distracted by notifications, try offline single-tasking instead of online multi-tasking wherever possible. Keeping these two options switched off could save you some precious minutes. One increasingly valuable tip to spare battery on MacBook is to remove unnecessary extra devices. Having stuff attached to your laptop can lessen its battery life. Therefore, if you have one of the older MacBooks, make sure to eject DVDs from the ROM drive that are not in use, and disable the audio. Moreover, disconnect external drives or 4G modems. All this will help your battery last longer.

Turn off BlueTooth and WiFi

1. Go to Preferences.



2. Click on BlueTooth/WiFi.



3. Select turn off BlueTooth/WiFi.

Keep MacBook Cool and Ventilated

Heat is one of the most common causes of decreased battery life. MacBooks have thermal sensors that shut off the battery for security reasons if the system overheats. Moreover, if your Macbook always runs hot, then it may be detrimental to battery life. Overheating may also cause thermal throttling, which may decrease the performance of your Macbook as well.

Make it a priority to keep your Mac cool by making sure the ventilation ports aren't clogged in any way. You can use compressed air to blow out any dust in the ventilation ports, which will significantly improve your Macbooks thermals. We also recommend using your laptop on a flat, firm surface that won't block airflow, and refraining from using cushions or blankets below your Macbook, which restricts airflow. If you're looking to buy a cooling pad for your MacBook, check out MacInfo's guide here.

Avoid Energy-Consuming Apps

Certain apps like Facebook or Mail consume a lot of battery. It's best to close such apps as soon as you're done using them to save a lot of battery life. Moreover, some of these apps can be used on your iPhone to save battery life. For example, while it may be convenient to use FaceTime and Messages on your MacBook as opposed to your iPhone, it is better to use them on iPhone so you do not drain your laptop's battery. Here is how to find out which apps are the most battery consuming and how to limit their usage to save battery life.

Check Energy-Consumption of an App

1. Go to Activity Monitor.
2. Click on the Energy tab.

Close an Application.

1. Click the Command and Q keys simultaneously.
2. Alternatively, click on the program on the top menu bar.
3. Select the quit option.

Turn Off Notifications

1. Click on System Preferences.



2. Go to Notifications.



3. Limit apps that can check for notifications.

Turn Off Mail’s Auto Check

1. Open up Mail.



2. Click on Preferences.
3. Change "Check For New Messages" to "Manually."

Know Your Cycles

To maximize the battery performance on your laptop, you must understand that the MacBook batteries have a limited lifecycle, and that new MacBooks keep a count of the cycles.

A cycle is the battery going below a certain percentage of charge (believed to be 70% to 80%) and then charging it. That is considered one cycle. You can expect to get 500 to 1,000 cycles before you only have 80% of your original battery life when fully charged. It is highly recommended that you avoid cycling the battery unless you need to. If you plug it in, charge it up and then use it without an adapter for hours every day, you will eat your battery up in two years.

Keep System Updated

Apple engineers work hard on rolling out new updates with small upgrades, which significantly affects battery life. Updates are essential and must never be ignored. The updated versions of applications are often more efficient than the previous ones. This efficiency may include being able to conserve your battery power.

Some might consider it a hassle to download updates since no one likes to restart their MacBooks and wait hours till it can be used again. But there's a way this can also be avoided. You can schedule the updates in the hours that you are most inactive, for instance, at night, so when you wake up, your laptop is updated and ready to be used. You must not ignore updates in any case and download them as soon as they are available.

Update Your Mac

1. Go to Preferences.



2. Click on Software Updates.
3. If any updates are available, then click on the "Update Now" button.